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A lot or a little?

The parents' guide to what's in this game.

Educational Value

Kids can learn about teamwork, solving problems, and communicating. The various mini-games test kids' abilities to work as a team at some points and to compete against each other in a friendly and nonconfrontational way at others. In addition, the mini-games are testing reflexes, hand-eye coordination, and basic puzzle-solving. Wii Party U is a fun way to let kids practice communicating and collaborating.

Positive Messages

This collection of mini-games highly encourages players to interact with one another. It is not designed as a single-player game. Different types of mini-games encourage strong teamwork and/or communication skills. All the competition is presented in a very fun, non-intimidating fashion, which sets the stage for good sportsmanship all around, regardless of who wins or loses.

Positive Role Models & Representations

Since the focus of the game is playing with other players, any characters within the game itself just help move the process along. However, they are all represented as good sports, and the crowd cheers you on.

Ease of Play

Although some of the mini-games may be a bit more difficult to master than others, most players will have no problem enjoying this game for what it's designed to do: bring together a group of people to have fun. Even if there are players with differing game-playing skills, the various modes take that into account by adding other factors such as luck and strategy, giving everyone a fair shot.

Violence & Scariness

There are some examples of very whimsical, cartoon-style violence in this game. Some of the mini-games may involve "attacking" opponents with cartoon tanks or lasers. These are always in the spirit of fun competition rather than any sort of display of aggression. Although characters occasionally land on their behinds and see stars, no one is ever hurt.

Language

Consumerism

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Wii Party U contains more than 80 mini-games. Players use a handful of modes and can use an interactive board game or a game show-type setting or just play one game at a time. Some of the mini-games involve minor cartoon violence like shooting cartoon cannons or lasers, but nothing about the content is gratuitous or overtly aggressive. No one is ever shown hurt. The app gives kids an opportunity to interact with others helping to increase socialization. Using the Wii remote can help kids who struggle with fine motor issues.

What's it about?

WII PARTY U is a collection of more than 80 mini-games. The wildly varied mini-games include everything from a no-holds-barred animal-racing game to short sequences where the outcome is pure luck of the draw. There are several game modes that utilize these mini-games in differing ways. In addition to interactive board games in which players compete to determine their order, there are also modes wherein players try to see how well they know one another. There's also an option for players to ditch the TV entirely and play games with the Wii U's GamePad controller.

Is it any good?

Wii Party U is one of the increasingly rare examples of a video game that works perfectly if you have four people together in the same room. It's just good old-fashioned fun. The game also is tailored to work with two or three players. Although it can be fun to play with the single-player options between multiplayer game sessions, that's not where the meat of the game is. The various game modes help keep the game fresh for a long time.

There are also some very unique uses for the Wii U GamePad controller, including mini-games wherein one player looks at the GamePad screen while everyone else sees a different perspective on the TV, as well as mini-games that use the GamePad exclusively. The bottom line: When it comes to choosing a video game that a group of people can play at the same time, Wii Party U is an easy recommendation. It's not quite as good if you don't have four, as it will add a virtual player to many of the games. Regardless, it's a must-add to any Wii U library.

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